WASHINGTON, DC — As of Dec. 17, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has withdrawn its indoor air quality (IAQ) proposal and is terminating the rulemaking proceeding, the agency announced.

Since the proposal was issued, numerous state and local governments and private employers have taken action to curtail smoking in public areas and in workplaces, according to an OSHA statement. In addition, the portion of the proposal not related to environmental tobacco smoke (ETS) received little attention during the rulemaking proceedings, the agency pointed out.

Withdrawal of this proposal will allow OSHA to devote its resources to other projects, the agency said. Its current regulatory priorities include “a number of important occupational safety and health standards.” If necessary, the agency may revisit IAQ; the withdrawal document “does not preclude any agency action that OSHA may find to be appropriate in the future.”